“Do you play football?” He asked. I looked up, wondering if I was in the right place. Yes, I know it was The Board, but no one told me that its name had an “FC” as a suffix. I mean, it did not have the acronym for Football Club; neither was I told that the Manager I had been on a call with was Pep Guardiola.

I wanted to say “yes”, but earlier, Debbie had said I should not lie, so I reconsidered and answered:
“YES!”. At once, the left side of my mind started poking accusing fingers: Had I not stopped playing football? Was I rather referring to Play Station football? Should I not have said that I am retired?

“What squad number do you prefer?” The question I had feared was coming.

“4”, I said without effort.

“Interesting number. What kind of “4” are you?”

“A creative 4.” I replied, “one that breaks the play of opponent, but create chances for teammates”.

“Good good… It will be a 4 then!”. He replied. That was how most of the session went.

I was wrong to have thought that this had nothing to do with football. Life is a sport and in many ways, life is like football.

Football, they say, is a beautiful game, and life can be the same. This does not mean that there are no challenges, there are so many things we TACKLE as we move towards our GOALS.

To achieve these, we work as a TEAM, and collectively, we attack and defend. We should be careful though; in trying to win the match, we should not get injured or dismissed. There is more to life than the present. Calm down.

The TRANSFER window is now open in football. The season is about to start. Players are on the MOVE, sometimes for more playing time, at other times for trophies or more money. That is the same thing about life. Even when the season of life is unending, let the thing you treasure propel you to make a move. Look out for the SIGNs, be sure of where your heart lies and go there. Your health is important, so do a MEDICAL, then you can move to any league of your choice…even to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen!

If life is crazy, then football is MAD. It is a game of passion and emotion, so you need to channel the energy responsibly. Be the source of positive impact, and contribute to another life.

***************************************

As I walked into the Locker Room, I saw the tactics of the coach written on the whiteboard, and there, close to where the silverware was, was my jersey. They had kept the promise; my name was written in the Greek alphabet and my squad number was none other than “4”. I smiled at the odd cup in the trophy cabinet. If silverwar犀利士 e is called a cup, then all cups are silverware.

Then came the formal signing, the flashing cameras, the jersey wearing and the stadium unveiling. It was the same formalities I knew of in football, but then this was more about life than soccer.

They brought the ball to me. Lopping was my worst skill when I actively played, and here was I, meant to showboat in front of the cameras. My heart sank. The left side of my mind started taunting me. I was holding on to the ball when there was a beep. The microwave had warmed lunch. I must have been so tired from that trip back from the site. I hissed and stood up. How could I have slept off in three minutes?

Life is a sport.

Life is football ⚽